María del Carmen Franco y Polo. Pictures | Getty Images María del Carmen Franco y Polo. January 01, 1900 Licence María del Carmen Franco y Polo , (born 14 February 1926) only child of Spain's...María del Carmen Franco y Polo , (born 14 February 1926) only child of Spain's dictator General Francisco Franco and his wife Carmen Polo, seen with her father, during the Spanish Civil War. LessMore Like Hitler, General Franco only had one testicle | The Week UK Like Hitler, General Franco only had one testicle May 18, 2009 email Hitler may not have been the only 20th-century Fascist dictator to have been in possession of only one testicle, if a new book by a Spanish historian is to be believed. General Francisco Franco, the man who led the Nationalists to victory in the Spanish Civil War and ruled Spain until his death in 1975, was also a 'monorchid'. Spanish historian Jose Maria Zavala says that the grand-daughter of his urologist told him that, like Hitler, Franco lost the organ in battle in 1916.

Dr Ana Puigvert claims her grandfather Antonio Puigvert, told her that Franco lost a testicle during the Rif war. He is believed to have been wounded in the lower abdomen in a skirmish against native Morroccans at El Biutz, near Ceuta in June 1916 where he fought as a captain in the Spanish army. Historians have regularly speculated that the injury may have led to reproductive difficulties for the dictator, despite the fact that he did have a daughter, Carmen Franco y Polo, in 1926, by his wife María del Carmen Polo y Martínez-Valdès. Last year Hitler's own battle injury came to light when new documents were released. Dr Johan Jambor, an army medic who treated Hitler for abdominal injuries at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, told his priest in the 1960s that the man who would lead Germany to disaster had lost one of his testicles.

The first thing Hitler asked Jambor was: "Will I be able to have children?" Sign up for our daily newsletter Newsletter Scott Ehrenburg | Moravian College Hometown: Florham Park, NJ Major(s): Spanish Title of project: Pololos, Prostitución y el Palacio de El Pardo: Identity and Gender Role Contradictions for Spanish Women during the 1940s-1950s Abstract or brief description: Pololos, Prostitución y el Palacio de El Pardo: Identity and Gender Role Contradictions for Spanish Women during the 1940s-1950s is a sociohistorical investigation which attempts to shed light on the contradictions and manipulation used by Carmen Polo de Franco (wife of dictator Francisco Franco) and Pilar Primo de Rivera (daughter of dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera) in their fight to shape Spanish women into the perfect Catholic housewives. “Flies cannot enter a closed mouth” would be the literal translation of a Spanish expression used to reinforce the motto of the time period: “enthusiastic silence” as one of the most important ideas defended by both women and the system overall.

However, this doctrine of morality was pillaged with widespread clandestine prostitution as well as often unreported domestic violence against women. This multidisciplinary thesis is the result of the fusion of women’s studies, sociology, cultural studies, and Spanish history. How did you get interested in your topic? I have always had an interest in 20th century Spain especially the Franco years, but Franco’s wife, Carmen Polo de Franco, was always left out of class discussions, lectures, and books that we read. I wondered why everyone had written her off as being that unimportant. What I uncovered proved to be quite the opposite of what I had been taught. She was a crucial part in the success of the regime. Do you intend to research your topic further, if so, how? Yes, I will be researching the topic more extensively in graduate school once I am accepted into a doctoral program. How did you benefit academically by conducting research/participating in honors? My honors project has been an excellent first step toward developing a doctoral thesis but more importantly has taught me how to research effectively and hone in my analytical skills. How has the department (or faculty advisor) in which you studied prepared you for the future?

There aren’t enough wonderful things that can be said about Dr. Ferrero, my thesis advisor. She has been such a crucial part in making not only my thesis, but my years here at Moravian tremendously successful. Since my freshman year she has pushed me, as cliché as it may sound, to reach my full potential. I can now confidently say that I am ready to continue on as a researcher and hopefully one day have the opportunity to able to call myself a colleague of hers. What advice do you have for other students interested in honors? Be sure to pick an advisor that not only you get along with but who believes in your topic. Make sure you surround yourself with good friends, preferably other Honors students because only they can understand the intensity of realizing such a big project. Spain: Revelations of obscene wealth inherited by former dictator Franco’s family - World Socialist Web Site World Socialist Web Site Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) Spain: Revelations of obscene wealth inherited by former dictator Franco’s family By Vicky Short 2 October 2007 Widespread anger has erupted in Spain over revelations regarding the massive wealth inherited by the family of former dictator General Francisco Franco.

The revelations are coupled with stories of the degenerate and decadent lifestyles of the Francos—one of the richest families in Spain. Every day, one or other of the concessions made to the fascists during the so-called “peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” three decades ago appears on the news and are bitterly debated in the letter columns of newspapers, private websites and blogs. An indication of the present mood can be seen in the letters published in response to one such article on the family’s wealth—the September 9 edition of El País. Que mas da writes, “....and they call this democracy? Why are we waiting to put a stop to such a big rabble who during forty years have made themselves rich at the expense of all Spaniards? Why are we waiting for an official investigation by the heirs of the bloody dictator just so that they can give an account of their possessions? And then Spanish judges allow themselves to put a stop to foreign dictators, why don’t they do the same here in our country?” Anuskita says, “Property acquired by theft and extortion is not ‘property’ but robbery.

It must be given back to its true owner, in this case the Spanish people.” Raul continues, “The truth is that all this is a scandal, everybody turning a blind eye and looking the other way when it comes to Franco and his family, who are untouchable by the constitution. It just demonstrates the fear and lack of b**** when it comes to confront them, that is why I don’t vote because it sickens me to think that those ‘authorities’ or pseudo politicians in parliament just go about their own party business and don’t do anything constructive for the people who elect them. They sicken me!” Hermano de Eloy adds, “How was Franco going to look after his real estate, palaces, country houses, livestock, apartments on the coast, etc., when he was busy all day signing death sentences?” Another El País reader says, “Enough, it is shameful that at this late stage of democracy in the country, with the Treasury screwing workers and this type of people continuing to thieve. Make them pay, expropriate them and stop all these class privileges just because they have the name of a dictator.” Anita continues in the same vein demanding, “Expropriate the Francos’ wealth now!

A fortune obtained with the blood of others!” David Rico Vida explained one of the ways some of this ill-gotten wealth, in this instance the Pazo de Meirás palace, was gained, “My grandmother was forced at school, together with all her school mates to bring in one peseta towards that ‘present.’ In my way of thinking, my grandmother is a shareholder of the Pazo de Meirás and should claim her share, as well as the rest of the families forced [to do the same]. It is truly disgraceful that people of that kind continue enjoying the fortunes they got from the people.” Franco was presented with Pazo de Meirás, a turreted palace built in 1893, as a summer residence by a group of Galician businessmen hoping for favours from the future dictator in 1938 during the Civil War. They raised the money by docking the wages from their workers and collecting public donations. After Franco took power the following year, nearby land was expropriated to expand the grounds of the palace. The Franco family has refused inspectors access to the palace in spite of its historical and cultural importance and the fact that it is listed as a heritage site.

The dictator’s daughter, Carmen Franco Polo, hired a lawyer who blocked the path of inspectors as they tried to enter last month and announced a lawsuit against the regional administration in Galicia for attempting an illegal inspection of a private residence. The palace has not been seen by anyone outside of Franco’s family since his death, and no one knows for sure what condition it is in or what treasures it may hold. The Spanish authorities have since filed a legal suit against the family—the first time such action has been taken. The full extent of Franco’s wealth is not known since his accounts were never made public. But at the time of his death it is estimated he left 60-100 billion pesetas (US$500-US$800 million) tied up in holding companies and real estate including three other valuable palaces besides Pazo de Meirás.

The 2,000-square-metre El Canto del Pico palace, built early in the last century in Torrelodones, Madrid, and shortly afterwards declared a National Heritage Monument, was given to Franco by the Count of Las Almenas in 1941 as a weekend retreat and was sold by his daughter in 1988 for 320 million pesetas (US$2.7 million). The eighteenth century Palacio de Cornide in A Coruña, still owned by the family, was bought by the Ministry for Education and Science in 1962 but bought three years later by the Count of Fenosa, who registered it in the name of Franco’s wife, Carmen Polo de Franco. Carmen Polo received an annual state pension of 12.5 million pesetas (US$100,000) as the widow of a head of state until she died in 1988 (US$32,000 more than the then Prime Minister Felipe González), and Franco’s daughter and her husband held onto their diplomatic passports until the end of the 1980s.

According to Mariano Sánchez Soler’s book, Los Franco S.A. (Franco Inc.), the family had interests in more than 150 companies during the Franco years and salted some of the profits abroad. To this day, it remains a mystery what happened to all the money that ended up in Switzerland, the Philippines and Miami. In one instance—during a trip to Lausanne in Switzerland in 1978—Franco’s daughter was accused of smuggling after a metal detector at Madrid airport revealed her bag to be filled with medals and other decorations made of precious metals. Public interest has recently being stirred up by plans to redevelop part of the family’s fourth estate—the 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) Valdelasfuentes estate near Madrid acquired by Carmen Polo and her son-in-law, the Marquis of Villaverde, in the 1960s—and build 5,700 homes, a commercial centre and two industrial estates.

In 1996, two PP leaders, Miguel Herrero Rodriguez de Miñón, one of the fathers of the Constitution of 1978 and leader of Alianza Popular (the predecessor of the PP), and Gabriel Camuñas, ex vice-president of Alianza Popular”, attempted to use their connections in the Madrid government and local councils where the estate is located to make millions for themselves. They would buy the estate from Franco’s wife cheaply as an agricultural estate, obtain rezoning through their political connections and then sell it within days at a staggering profit as building land. The plan failed. Again in 1998 they tried to buy a portion of the estate, again making millions once they had obtained rezoning. The plan again failed due to the refusal of the PSOE government to authorize such rezoning. Now that the PP is in charge of the Madrid government the building is going ahead. The company that will carry out the construction is a building society owned by the San Roman brothers, close friends of Ricardo Romero de Tejada, the general secretary of the PP in Madrid and with alleged links to the President of the Madrid PP Autonomous Government, Esperanza Aguirre.

One of the brothers, Fidel San Roman, was in jail last year accused of bribery in regard to trafficking influences and corruption related to the years-long and still ongoing corruption case in real state in the southern tourist town of Marbella. This and the many other properties owned by the family are worth a fortune—between £244 million and £406 million, according to El País. Despite having sold part of their legacy, the family still controls a complex network of companies, building societies, real estate, garages, car parks, shops, pizza restaurants, clinics, and television and telecommunication companies. And this is probably only the tip of the iceberg, as they have their fingers in many more lucrative pies in Spanish and international banks and money markets. The family not only believes it has the right to do what it likes with not only the dictator’s ill-gotten financial gains, but also his archival material. All the official documentation that was managed at El Pardo, Franco’s Madrid residence, was transferred to the private foundation, Fundaciûn Francisco Franco, established after his death. To this day, nobody knows what is there or if it has been destroyed.

Historians have denounced the sales of documents that have ended up in antique shops and auctions. The fortune amassed by Franco through the repression and exploitation of the Spanish people during his four-decades-long dictatorship was allowed to continue after the transition, providing the profits for his extended family to continue their opulent lifestyle. Although the Spanish people are well aware of these facts, they have been prevented from intervening or even protesting by the imposition of the “forgetting and forgiving” pact negotiated by the Communist Party and the PSOE with the regime during the transition. Today that is changing. A huge economic crisis threatens the Spanish economy, and a political radicalisation of a new generation is taking place that is questioning the terms of the transition and demanding answers to the unresolved political problems of the civil war, the victory of the fascists and decades of repression.

Demands are mounting for the mass graves dotted all over Spain containing unknown thousands of opponents of the fascist regime to be opened, the verdicts handed out by Franco’s courts to be annulled and the victims compensated, the regime’s symbols to be removed from the streets of Spain, and something to be done about the slave labour-built Valle de los Ca(dos monument, where Franco and the fascist Falange leader José Antonio Primo de Rivera are buried. The meek demands raised in parliament by the Stalinist-led United Left (Izquierda Unida) for the Franco clan to vacate some of its sumptuous properties will not quell the unrest. Neither will the cosmetic reforms advanced by the PSOE government of Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, such as removing a few statues and cutting off funding to the Franco foundation. A law of historical memory that is supposed to address the more fundamental issues has been stalled in parliament for months, despite being thoroughly watered down and committing the government to nothing but platitudes. Nobody believes that it will be passed before new general elections due to take place in March 2008.

Movie Nights | La Casa Hispánica / Hispanic House La Casa Hispánica / Hispanic House Monday, September 7th, 2015. 7pm. Spanish with English subtitles. Tuesday, September 1st, 2015 . 7 pm. Spanish with English subtitles. Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 5.30 pm – Hispanic House. Monday, February 2nd Mixing together ingredients from caper films and political dramas, without losing any of the former’s frothy charm or the latter’s tart sting, ¡Atraco! imagines the hidden historical forces behind a real-life jewelry heist. In mid-’50s Madrid, loyalists to the exiled Juan Perón raise money for his relocation to Spain by pawning off some jewelry belonging to the late Evita. The plan is to purchase them back before their public appearance can create a scandal, but the glittering baubles catch the eye of “Mrs. Necklaces” herself, Franco’s wife Carmen Polo. With the jeweler’s cooperation a fake heist is quickly set up before Polo can claim the jewels and start showing them off around town.

Security officer Merello (Guillermo Francella), a devout Peronista with years of experience at such skullduggery, and Miguel (Nicolás Cabré), an actor as perpetually nervous as he is unemployed, are paired up as the faux-robbers. Blasé Merello and bumbling Miguel make a great, snappy odd couple; but as Inspector Ramos (Óscar Jaenada) starts closing in, events take a sharp dramatic turn, reminding you that for all the laughs along the way this is still the story of a crime attempted under the nose of a dictatorship. “La gran familia española” (España, 2013). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 5.30 pm – Hispanic House. Friday, January 30th Ephraim, the youngest of 5 brothers all with biblical names (as in 7 Brides for 7 Brothers), asks his 10 year-old classmate, Carla, to marry him when they both turn 18. Eight years later, who would have thought that Spain would be playing the World Soccer Championship finals in South Africa precisely on the wedding day.

Ephraim will reunite his family on this day of national catharsis and with the entire country paralyzed by the game, each family member will be confronted with the most challenging match of the lives: accepting who they are and where they come from. Monday, October 27th – “NO” (Chile, 2012). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 6.30 pm – Botetourt Theatre – Ground Floor, Swem Library “NO” is a 2012 Chilean drama film directed by Pablo Larraín. The film is based on the unpublished play El Plebiscito, written by Antonio Skármeta. Mexican actor Gael García Bernal plays René, an in-demand advertising man working in Chile in the late 1980s. The historical moment the film captures is when advertising tactics came to be widely used in political campaigns. The campaign in question was the historic 1988 plebiscite of the Chilean citizenry over whether general Augusto Pinochet should have another 8-year term as President.

Summary: Military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power in 1988, the leaders of the opposition persuade a young daring advertising executive – René Saavedra – to head their campaign. With limited resources and under the constant scrutiny of the despot’s watchmen, Saavedra and his team conceive of a bold plan to win the election and free their country from oppression. Monday, October 20th – “Diarios de Motocicleta” (2004). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 6.30 pm – Botetourt Theatre – Ground Floor, Swem Library An inspirational adventure, based on the true story of two young men whose thrilling and dangerous road trip across Latin America becomes a life-changing journey of self-discovery. In 1952, a semester before Ernesto “Fuser” Guevara is due to complete his medical degree, he and his older friend Alberto, a biochemist, leave Buenos Aires in order to travel across the South American continent in search of fun and adventures. While there is a goal at the end of their journey – they intend to work in a leper colony in Peru – the main purpose is tourism.

They want to see as much of Latin America as they can, more than 8,000 kilometers (5000 miles) in just a few months, and also bed as many Latin American women as will fall for their pick-up lines. Their initial method of transport is Alberto’s ancient and leaky but functional Norton 500 motorcycle christened La Poderosa. Monday, October 6th – “Y también la lluvia” (España/México 2010). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 6.30 pm – Botetourt Theatre – Ground Floor, Swem Library “Spanish director Sebastián, his executive producer Costa and all his crew are in Bolivia, in the Cochabamba area, to shoot a motion picture about Christopher Columbus, his first explorations and the way the Spaniards treated the Natives at the time. Costa has chosen this place because the budget of the film is tight and here he can hire supernumeraries, local actors and extras for cheap cost. Things go more or less smoothly until a conflict erupts over the privatization of the water supply.

One of the local actors, is a leading activist in the protest movement, which will affect the movie production as well as how the movie identifies with the reality. History, fiction and reality intertwine in “Even the Rain,” which follows a Spanish film production company as they shoot a 16th century New World epic in Bolivia. The film is based on true events: The Cochabamba water riots of 2000, which left more than 100 people injured, eventually managed to keep the water supply public. Parallels between the struggles of the indigenous against the first imperialism seeking to take their gold and then companies seeking to privatize their water become clear”. TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS ACTIVITY SIGN-UP BY GOOGLE DOCS. Monday September 29 – “El Norte” (US/UK, 1983). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. 6.30 pm – Botetourt Theatre – Ground Floor, Swem Library Mayan Indigenous peasants are tired of being thought of as nothing more than manual laborers. They organize an effort to improve their lot in life, but are discovered by the Guatemalan army.

After the army destroys their village and family, Enrique and Rosa, a teenage brother and sister, who barely escaped the massacre, decide they must flee to United States. After receiving clandestine help from friends and humorous advice from a veteran immigrant on strategies for traveling, they make their way by truck, bus and other means to Los Angeles, where they try to make a new life as young, uneducated, and illegal immigrants. Monday September 15- “Como agua para chocolate” (MEXICO, 1992). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. Romantic fantasy set in Mexico during the early 20th century. A young couple is blocked from marrying by the demands of the young woman’s cold and selfish mother. To be near his love, the young man marries her sister, and she expresses her passion for him through her cooking. Monday September 8 – “Arráncame la vida” (MEXICO, 2008). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. Based on the hit novel by Ángeles Mastretta, the film portrays the story of a woman who dared to break the mold of her time.

Catalina (Ana Claudia Talancón) is a woman from Puebla who marries Andrés Ascencio (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a sympathetic and powerful man, as a way out of her little world and expecting to live great experiences. She soon discovers that her life has been chained to Andrés, and she has lost her freedom. Catalina will rediscover love with Carlos Vives (Jośe María de Tavira), a young man who is the antithesis of Andrés. Monday September 1 – “No se aceptan devoluciones” (MEXICO, 2013). Language: Spanish with English subtitles. Valentin is Acapulco’s resident playboy, until a former fling leaves a baby on his doorstep and takes off without a trace. Leaving Mexico for Los Angeles to find the baby’s mother, Valentin ends up finding a new home for himself and his newfound daughter, Maggie. An unlikely father figure, Valentin raises Maggie for six years, while also establishing himself as one of Hollywood’s top stuntmen to pay the bills, with Maggie acting as his on-set coach. As Valentin raises Maggie, she forces him to grow up too.

But their unique and offbeat family is threatened when Maggie’s birth mom shows up out of the blue, and Valentin realizes he’s in danger of losing his daughter – and his best friend. Sign-up for this activity! Monday April 14 – “EL AURA” (ARGENTINA, 2005) A quiet, cynic taxidermist, who suffers from epilepsy attacks, is obsessed with committing the perfect crime. He claims that the police are too stupid to find out about it when it’s well executed, and that the robbers are too stupid to execute it the right way. He feels that he could do it himself by relying on his photographic memory and his strategic planning skills. He is invited on a hunting trip away from his home. Once there, an accident gives him the chance of a life time: the possibility to commit the perfect crime. Monday April 7 – “CAMA ADENTRO” (ARGENTINA, 2004) Cama adentro (English: Live-in Maid) is a 2004 Argentine and Spanish drama film, written and directed by Jorge Gaggero. In Spain it is also known as Señora Beba.

It was executive produced by Aqua Films’ Verónica Cura. The picture features Norma Aleandro, Norma Argentina, among others. The drama is set in Buenos Aires during the early 2000s economic crisis. It tells of the relationship between Beba, a spoiled, temperamental member of the Argentina upper middle class (Norma Aleandro), and her longtime maid, Dora (Norma Argentina). Both are in their 50’s. Late in 2001, tough economic times in Buenos Aires mean that Beba, a slim, blond, and privileged divorcée, has no money to pay Dora, a doughy, nearly-silent maid who has lived with her for almost 30 years. Dora breaths in her dignity and resigns. She wants to finish work on her own house, with her less than reliable mate, Miguel. She also looks for a new job. Beba asks her ex-husband for financial help. He demurs. Can Beba adjust to new realities, find a way to pay Dora, and honor her lifetime of service, and can either make a life without the other? Does sisterhood cross class lines?

Segundo Maratón de Películas argentinas. Monday March 24 – “BOLIVIA” (ARGENTINA, 2001) Bolivia is a 2001 Argentine and Dutch drama film directed by Israel Adrián Caetano, his first feature-length film. The screenplay is written by Caetano, based upon the Romina Lafranchini story, about his wife. The motion picture features Freddy Flores and Rosa Sánchez, among others. A man finds work as an illegal alien in Argentina in order to support his family in Bolivia. The film paints a portrait of struggle among the poor in the modern economy of Argentina, with a focus on the mistreatment of dispossessed workers. Monday March 20 – “EL LADO OSCURO DEL CORAZÓN” (ARGENTINA, 1992) In this cheerfully surrealistic romance, a poet named Oliverio (Darío Grandinetti) lives by his wits in Buenos Aires, winning dollars by reciting his poems to passing motorists who stop at red lights or by occasionally trading a poem for a steak from a sympathetic restaurateur.

His friends include an eccentric Canadian sculptor and Death (Nacha Guevara) himself, who often encourages him to get a regular job. When he grows tired of the women he is sleeping with, his bed becomes a doorway to elsewhere, and they simply disappear. This all changes somewhat when he falls in love with a high-class (and evidently very gifted) hooker. Their lovemaking sessions literally result in the couple levitating. Increasingly obsessed with meeting her fee, the free-spirited poet gets a job in advertising. At one point, their sexual encounter literally sends them flying over the city. Director Eliseo Subiela. Monday March 17 – “PIZZA, BIRRA Y FASO” (ARGENTINA, 1998) A gang of teenagers roam the slums until Sandra decides that she’s had enough. Pregnant with El Cordobes’ child, Sandra threatens to leave him if he doesn’t straighten up. He decides to pull one more heist, but his plans go terribly wrong. Dirección: Adrián Caetano, Bruno Stagnaro.

Monday March 10 – “CENIZAS DEL PARAÍSO” (ARGENTINA, 1997) Ashes of Paradise is a 1997 Argentine film from director Marcelo Piñeyro. It tells in flashbacks how the untroubled private happiness of a family – a judge and his three grown-up sons – crumbles between loyalty and betrayal, blind trust and suspicions. The film won several awards, among them a renowned Goya Award, for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera de Habla Hispana). Wednesday February 26 – “CARMEN” (SPAIN, 2003) Carmen is a 2003 drama film based on the classic romance of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. Director Vicente Aranda based the plot on Mérimée’s original 1847 novella, not its famous operatic adaptation by Bizet from 1875, changing some details about the love story between Carmen (Paz Vega) and José (Leonardo Sbaraglia).

Further alterations include the introduction into the plot of author Mérimée (Jay Benedict), who is portrayed as a French author who finds the “real” Carmen in early 19th century Spain. The film was voted the People’s Favourite Film at the 2004 Birmingham Screen Festival. Monday February 17 – “LA HISTORIA OFICIAL” (Argentina, 1985) The Official Story is a 1985 Argentine drama film directed by Luis Puenzo and written by Puenzo and Aída Bortnik. It stars Norma Aleandro, Héctor Alterio, Chunchuna Villafañe and Hugo Arana. The film deals with the story of an upper middle class couple who lives in Buenos Aires with an illegally adopted child. The mother comes to realize that her daughter may be the child of a “desaparecido”, a victim of the forced disappearances that occurred during Argentina’s last military dictatorship (1976-1983).Among several other international awards, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards.

February 10 ~ “Camila” (Argentina, 1984) Camila O’Gorman (Susan Peccaro) is the daughter of an influential 19th century Argentine diplomat (Hector Alterio). Ladislao Gutierez (Imanol Arias) is a Jesuit priest, also living in Argentina. Tortured by her so-called impure thoughts, Camila confesses these to Gutierez. Flouting tradition, convention, and the repressive Rosas political regime, Camila and the priest embark on a torrid affair. Based on a true story, the Spanish/Argentine co-production Camila was honored with a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination. February 3 ~ “TIEMPO DE REVANCHA” (Argentina, 1981) Pedro Bengoa, an ex-union organizing demolition worker and Bruno Di Toro, a coworker friend of him, decide to blackmail the corrupt company they work for, setting up a fake accident in a copper pit. Di Toro was supposed to pretend to be Mute as a consequence of an explosion, and Pedro would corroborate his story.

Things don’t go as planned and Di Toro loses his life, leaving Pedro to continue the plan on his own, while pretending to be Mute. However, when the company finally agrees to an economical settlement, Pedro refuses to accept, searching justice primarily, and his case goes to the courts. This event changes Pedro’s life for ever. “Tiempo de revancha” is a 1981 Argentine crime drama film written and directed by Adolfo Aristarain and starring Federico Luppi, Julio De Grazia, Haydée Padilla and Ulises Dumont. It was produced by Héctor Olivera and Luis O. Repetto. The music was composed by Emilio Kauderer. The film premiered in Argentina on July 30, 1981, and won 10 awards, including one for Best Film (ex aequo) in the Montréal World Film Festival. January 27 ~ “GUANTANAMERA” (CUBA, 1995) In this romantic comedy, Yoyita, a world-famous diva, returns to her home town of Guantanamo for an elegant reception and a surprise reunion with her once beloved, Candido.

Overjoyed with the rekindled memories of her first love, Yoyita’s elated heart fizzles while in Candido’s embrace. Joining Yoyita’s funeral procession back to Havana are her sexy niece Gina, a former professor blacklisted for political nonconformity, and her husband Adolfo, a tasteless government official in charge of the funeral proceedings. As the cortege wends westward across Cuba, its path keeps crossing that of Mariano, a gallant truck driver who once had a crush on Gina and whose recurring presence crystallizes her doubts about her marriage. El miércoles 22 de Enero presentamos “NO” (Chile, 2012) “NO” is a 2012 Chilean drama film directed by Pablo Larraín. The film is based on the unpublished play El Plebiscito, written by Antonio Skármeta. Mexican actor Gael García Bernal plays René, an in-demand advertising man working in Chile in the late 1980s. The historical moment the film captures is when advertising tactics came to be widely used in political campaigns.

The campaign in question was the historic 1988 plebiscite of the Chilean citizenry over whether general Augusto Pinochet should have another 8-year term as President. El 2 de diciembre presentamos la película mexicana “Rudo y Cursi” (México, 2008). El 25 de Noviembre proyectamos la comedia argentina “Un novio para mi mujer” (2008). El 18 de Noviembre la película argentina “Juan y Eva” realizada en el año 2011. El 11 de noviembre vimos “Elefante Blanco” (Argentina, 2012) del director Pablo Trapero. El miércoles 6 de noviembre miramos la película cubana “Juan de los Muertos” (2011). El lunes 28 de octubre miramos la película chilena “Machuca” (2004) acompañados por el profesor Jorge Terukina.

La película cuenta la historia de una amistad, la de dos niños de once años que viven en Santiago, el primero en un barrio acomodado y el segundo en un humilde poblado ilegal recientemente instalado a pocas manzanas de distancia. Es la historia de dos mundos separados por una gran muralla invisible que algunos, en su afán por hacer realidad los sueños de una época llena de esperanzas revolucionarias, quieren derribar. Uno de estos soñadores, el director de un colegio religioso privado, el padre McEnroe, con el apoyo de parte de los padres, integra en el elitista colegio a chicos de familias de escasos recursos procedentes del poblado, con la firme decisión de que aprendan a respetarse mutuamente. Es así como Pedro Machuca está en la misma clase de Gonzalo Infante y entre ellos nace una amistad llena de descubrimientos y sorpresas.

Pero a las dificultades objetivas de este intento de integración se agregan las que se derivan del clima de abierto enfrentamiento social que vive la sociedad chilena. El miércoles 23 de octubre presentamos la película “Crónicas de una fuga” (Argentina, 2006). Director: Israel Adrián Caetano . La película se sitúa en el Buenos Aires de 1977 y narra un hecho real: la fuga de 4 detenidos del centro clandestino de detención “Mansión Seré” ubicado en la localidad de Morón (Provincia de Buenos Aires) durante la ultima dictadura militar en Argentina. El 9 de octubre con la presencia de el profesor Brent Kaup proyectamos en la Casa “Y también la lluvia” – Even the rain (2010). Un grupo de cineastas se dirigen rumbo a Bolivia con el fin de rodar una película sobre Cristobal Colon y el descubrimiento de América.

La película se rueda en Cochabamba, donde la privatización y venta del agua a una multinacional siembra entre la población un malestar tal que hará estallar la tristemente famosa Guerra Boliviana del Agua (abril del año 2000). Quinientos años después del descubrimiento de América, palos y piedras se enfrentan de nuevo al acero y la pólvora de un ejército moderno. Pero esta vez no se lucha por el oro, sino por el más imprescindible de los elementos vitales: el agua. El 30 de septiembre presentamos la película “El secreto de sus ojos” con la presencia de la profesora Silvia Tanderciarz. El film, una co-producción Argentina-España, logró ser la película argentina de mayor éxito del año 2009 y una de las más taquilleras de la historia del cine argentino, con más de dos millones y medio de espectadores.

En el 2010 se convirtió en la segunda película argentina en ganar el Óscar a la mejor película extranjera, después de “La historia oficial”. La película se sitúa en la Argentina de los años 70. Benjamín Espósito es oficial de un Juzgado de Instrucción de Buenos Aires y está a punto de retirarse. Obsesionado por un brutal asesinato ocurrido treinta años antes, decide escribir una novela sobre el caso, del cual fue testigo y protagonista. Reviviendo el pasado, viene también a su memoria el recuerdo de una mujer, a quien ha amado en silencio durante todos esos años. El Miércoles 25 de septiembre presentamos la película española “Volver” de Pedro Almodovar con la presencia de la profesora Paulina Carrion. El lunes 16 de septiembre presentamos la película “Diarios de Motocicleta”.

Basada en los diarios de Alberto Granados y del hombre que acabaría convirtiéndose en “el Che”, “Diarios de Motocicleta” desanda la rica y compleja topografía humana y social de América Latina en un viaje que descubre los orígenes de un corazón revolucionario. El 11 de noviembre proyectamos “La estrategia del caracol” (Colombia, 1993). “Los vecinos de uno de los barrios más pobres de la ciudad colombiana de Bogotá luchan para evitar el derribo de la casa dónde viven, propiedad de un millonario sin escrúpulos. Defendiendo el edificio contra jueces y policías, planean una original estrategia ideada y dirigida por Don Jacinto, un viejo anarquista español. La lucha contra los especuladores y los corruptos está perdida antes de empezar, pero los vecinos están dispuestos a hacer lo que sea para defender su dignidad”. “Un cuento chino” (Argentina, 2011).

Roberto, un hombre marcado por un duro revés que arruinó y paralizó su vida hace más de veinte años, vive atrincherado frente al mundo y en completa soledad. Sin embargo, un día, un extraño acontecimiento logra sacarlo de su aislamiento y ponerlo de nuevo en contacto con la realidad. An Asturian jewel | Visit Galicia An Asturian jewel Posted on January 5, 2011 by Paul Oviedo is the capital city of Asturias, founded in the eighth century, and the birthplace of formula one racing driver Fernando Alonso and Carmen Polo , the wife of Spanish dictator General Franco. It is located some 50km south of the airport which often bears its name (actually Aeropuerto de Asturias) and which gets daily summer flights from London Stansted, 195km from the ferry port at Santander, and 177 km from our house in Liñeiras. We visited on our last trip spending a night at the Silken Monumental Naranco and were enchanted by everything that this city has to offer, except perhaps its vinegar cider.

Oviedo Cathedral The Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Salvador is located at the heart of the old town and an important stopping off point along the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is a real mish-mash of architectural styles and it backs on to the monastery of St. Vincent (home to the archaeological museum of Asturias ) to form a large and impressive complex. During the Spanish Civil War the city was the location of a famous seige when Colonel Antonio Aranda Mata held out for the Nationalists against the rebellion for just under three months before being relieved by Francos army. The old and new parts of the city have many sculptures by varied artists including a life sized bronze sculpture of Woody Allen , one of the finest comedy actors and directors of all time, who once said ‘Oviedo is delicious, exotic, beautiful, clean, pleasant, peaceful, and kind to pedestrians. It’s as if it doesn’t belong to this world, as if it could not possibly exist … Oviedo is like a fairy tale.’ Oviedo featured in the recent Allen directed movie ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ .

Woody loves Oviedo The city itself has all the bars, shops, hotels, sculptures and cultural attractions to fill several days soaking in the atmosphere, admiring the sculptures and walking through the parks and meticulously kept streets. Fresh from a good street cleanse Superb architecture Of course it does have its curiosities, as does every Spanish city, and around every corner is something to remind you of which quirky country you are in. Religious icon anyone? Finally a photograph that it was impossible to resist taking (if only to ‘cock a snoop’ at our English pandering to environmental health). If the punchline wasn’t so obvious I’d use it for a caption competition. The 'King Ham' Francoist history: Hispanist Paul Preston: “Franco remains a mystery to me” | In English | EL PAÍS 15 DIC 2015 - 09:17 CET British Hispanist Paul Preston in Valencia.

Juan Carlos Cardenas EFE Since Paul Preston published his landmark study of the life of General Francisco Franco in 1993, he has not stopped revising and expanding the work; for the latest edition, he’s added two new chapters: “One about his relationship with the Jews, and another providing an overview of how he has been treated by other historians and writers.” In the first case, the British Hispanist enters a gray area, obscured by Franco’s manipulations after the end of World War II. The second means confronting controversy: Franco’s admirers have attempted to rehabilitate his figure and their knives will be sharpened and waiting. Preston, however, is not worried: “They may sell a lot of books, but they aren’t serious, and attempts to revitalize his figure have proved unsuccessful.” On top of that, he’s also made amendments all the way through the biography’s more-than 1,000 pages: “Minutiae, details – about his relationship with Hitler, his role in the global conflict, the bombing of Guernica…” The immense flow of a life of maneuvering, word play, icy consideration for those he liquidated, opportunism, and an instinct for survival.

“Franco remains a mystery to me,” says Preston from his London home. Franco was implacable and used all his extermination machinery to eliminate those he considered enemies” That said, no one has made a bigger contribution to revealing that mystery than the London School of Economics professor. Or at least no one has done it in a more rigorous and sustained way, examining not just Franco’s military career or political maneuvers, but also his psychological profile. Preston uncovers an Oedipus complex, a hatred of his cruel father, his at times lamblike relationship with his wife, Carmen Polo, and the private side of Franco: the man who painted, wrote and loved watching movies. The Jewish dimension was one of the key aspects of his survival strategy after World War II. “It was a gaping hole in his biography,” says Preston. He had to break his commitment to the Hitler-Mussolini axis and come out looking clean. How did he do it? “By lying, manipulating – as he almost always did,” he says. “For example, it is not true that he helped save Jews, as his hagiographers claim. His dislike of them never diminished.

This myth comes from the time when the Germans informed the friendly countries that if they wanted to take Jews in who passed through their territory, the Germans wouldn’t pursue them to exterminate them.” Franco allowed a fixed number in, but not so that they would stay, but so they could leave Spain without problems and only during a fixed period. “When that time was up, he didn’t move a finger to save them and he didn’t let any more in. He didn’t do much, to tell the truth. There were a few diplomats, such as Ángel Sanz Briz in Hungary, who deserve praise, but they were the exception.” Life and work Paul Preston was born in 1946 and educated at Oxford University, where he graduated with a degree in history. Considered one of the world’s leading Hispanists, he first traveled to Spain in the 1960s. He has written biographies of Franco, King Juan Carlos I , veteran communist leader Santiago Carrillo, as well as a monumental work on the Spanish Civil War.

Following the Allied landings in France in mid-1944, when it was absolutely clear that Germany was going to lose the war, he understood that the survivors would play a crucial role in the new world order that would follow Hitler’s defeat. “He did take the whole Jewish-Masonic conspiracy thing seriously, so it wasn’t so difficult, from his perspective, to reach that conclusion. That was when he began to whitewash his image. It’s no surprise that, encouraged by the regime, soon, in 1949, books started to be published such as España y los judíos (Spain and the Jews), which were gestures of rapprochement.” He set in motion a new strategy to remain in power. “The right word to describe him might be cunning,” says Preston. “He was a man of disguises: during the Civil War he presented himself as El Cid, and in World War II, as Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, trying to impose an imperial vision that the Nazis – whom he deeply admired – failed to take seriously. When they fell from power and he faced the prospect of being removed by the victorious Allies, he reinvented himself again as the savior of Spain.

And amazingly, it worked.” Luck or skill? Preston says the vision Franco’s brother-in-law, Rámon Serrano Suñer, tried to present of him as a simpleton does not add up. “I have looked at British diplomatic papers from the time and they recommended not being overly critical of him because this only reinforced his position. [...] He might have seemed a bit mad at times, but I don’t think he was when it came to putting his own interests first.” RELATED ARTICLES “I’m no royalist but Spain needs its king” Preston describes his job as trying to reveal the man behind the masks. This has meant highlighting Franco’s strengths, as well as his weaknesses. But above all, to remind the world that Franco was a vicious killer. “He was implacable and used all his extermination machinery to eliminate those he considered enemies: communists, liberals, nationalists, republicans…” He says that the violence Franco unleashed has been played down over the decades. “He invested in terror, he set up his vision of the past, and the need for a dictatorship. How? By controlling the media, but above all by controlling education.

He carried out a mass brainwashing that resulted in what we now know today as sociological Francoism. Something that, in many ways, has proved effective to this day.” From Juan Carlos to Carrillo via the Spanish holocaust Paul Preston’s work focuses on Spain’s 20th century. Aside from his writings on Franco and the Spanish Civil War, he has told the story of what he calls the Spanish holocaust : the campaign of mass killings carried out by Franco during and after the conflict. He has also explored Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy. “Taking everything into account, the transition was the best it could possibly have been,” he says. He has no doubts about the key role played by King Juan Carlos in that process. “He was absolutely fundamental. He used his position as head of the armed forces to control its more reticent members,” he says. But everything happened at a time of fear and tension, and when there was less concern about tackling corruption. “It wasn’t a priority, not like now. The crisis has highlighted this. Francoism was a regime based on institutionalized corruption, legalized corruption.

Franco was very astute at working out the price he would have to pay to his collaborators.” Preston believes history will be kind to Juan Carlos. “His role cannot be played down. What he suffered as a child and in adolescence cannot be changed. His ascent to the throne, his role as a driver of democratic change, his trade diplomacy, and his contribution to the opening up of Spain, of helping it return to the international stage, despite all that might have cast a shadow over his reputation since, will not in any way reduce the importance of what he contributed.”

Question: Carmen Polo was the wife of which 20th century dictator?
Answer: Franco